Ballet slipper and manufacture of same



Aug. 16, 1932. v I s. CAPEZIO 1,872,641

' BALLET SLIPPER AND MANUFACTURE OF ME Filed April 18, 1930 4Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR salvafore Capezm ATTORNEYS 1932- s. CAPEZIOBALLET SLIPPER AND MANUFACTURE OF SAME Filed April 18. 19:50

4 Shgts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Sq lvafore Co eziO g BY ATTQRNEYS Aug. 16,1932. s. CAPEZIO BALLET SLIPPER AND MANUFACTURE OF SAME Filed April 18,1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Tic. 11.

INVENTOR salvcfiore Capeiao ATTORNEYS Aug. 16, 1932. s. CAPEZIO1,372,641

BALLET. SLIPPER AND MANUFACTURE OF SAME Filed April 18, 1930 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR sqlvaiore Capezio BY ll atented Aug. 1,, 1932UNE BALLET smrrnn AND if r Application filed April 18,

This invention relates to ballet slippers and to a method formanufacturing the same.

The upper of an ordinary ballet slipper is made of a fabric such assatin which rapidly wears and frays at the toe of the slipper, making itnecessary to. discard the same after relatively short useful life. Witha view to increasing the wear of these slippers it has been proposed toform at'the toe and sole adto jacent the toe a solid mass of stitchingwhich is capable of taking the wear. Such a slipper is disclosed in myPatent 1,704,281 issued March 5, 1929, and is eminently satisfactory inuse, but it costly to manufacture and must it be marketed at arelatively high price because of the expense ofstitching the toe portionof the slipper with the numerous necessary lines of stitching.

One object of the present invention is to rovide a ballet slippercapable of long wear, and a method for making the same which will permitit to be marketed at a low price. The ballet slipper of the presentinvention com prises a fabric upper, but the toe and adjacent "soleportion thereof is cut out and replaced'by a material, preferably suede,which. is especially adapted to take long wear.

The toe of an ordinary ballet slipper is formed from an initially flatpiece of material which must be drawn in to form the shape of the toe.'That is, the excess material is formed into folds or plaits beneath thetoe, and these cause considerable trouble during the manufacture of'theslipper inasmuch as they must be repeatedly straightened out andhammered into proper shape. plaits beneath the toe result in bulkyplaces or projections which fray and become ragge very quickly,

in addition to spoiling the trim appearance of the slipper and givingrise to some discomfort to the dancer. Even the stitched toe slipperwhich is not plaited 1n the ordinary manner is provided with folds ateach side of the stitched toe portion in order to tuck away the excessmaterial.

Another object of my invention is to increase the wear, and improve theappearance of a ballet slipper by avoiding bulges an plaits at the toeportion thereof regardless of the material of which the slipper is made,and

Even then, the I UFAC'TURE 015' E 1930. Serial No. 445,261.

to this end I have developed an entirely new techn que in themanufacture of ballet slippers, in accordance with which, the materialof the upper is patterned at the toe portion in order to obtain thedesired shape without folds or plaits. Not only the upper, but also afiller, say thick elkskin, and toe stiffening members, and the innerlining of the slipper are all appropriately patterned to fit smoothlyaround the toe of the slipper without folds 60 or plaits of any kind.This results in a trim sllpper the shape of which is practicallypermanent for the life of the slipper.-

In manufacturing ballet sllppers, the upper is usually applied ininverted condition 85 to a last previously provided with a chan-' neledoutsole. The upper in machine stitched to the outsole at the sides andheel of the slipper but the toe portion is always stitched by hand. Thisintroduces a manufacturing step which is very costly but which has beennecessary because of the bulk of material to be sewed to the sole at thetoe of the slipper.

In the case of the ordinary plaited slipper, it is necessary'to form aplait for each stitch taken, and this is a slow and tedious process.

A still further object of my present invention is to make it possible tomachine stitch the upper entirely around the sole, and this isaccomplished as above described, for when patterning the material of theupper, and the various filling, stiffening and lining materials, at thetoe of the slipper to conform accruately to the toe of the last withoutfolds or plaits, the thickness of material which results is notexcessive and can be accommo dated by the ordinary sewing machine now dused solely for the rear portion of the slipper.

In many ballet slippers, a relatively thic filling material is builtinto the toe of the slipper in order to stiffen the same. Difficultyarises because this filler must be made small in area inasmuch as itcannot be folded and plaited like the rest of the material of the upper,and yet it must be securely an chored in place in order to guard againstmovement of the same within the slipper.

d A further obj eot of this invention is to overcome the foregoingdifficulty and to provide afiller Which is extensive in area which W11].1

fact that the upper is to the outsole,

slip 1g. 16 shows the inner lining B6 forward portion cushion andprotect the sole, of the slipper adjacent the toe, as well as the toeitself, and yet which will be securely anchored in position. To thisend, advantage is taken of the patterned to proper shape at the toe,instead of being left flat until sewed to the sole, and a filler iscemented about the patterned toe of the upper, the filler itself beingproperly conformed and m trimmed to take the shape of the toe withoutfolds or plaits. With this smooth construction, the filler may beextended along the sole ofthe sli per suflicient distance to be stitchedwith t e upper and lining materials thereby fixing its locationpermanently.

Tothe accomplishment of the foregoing andsuch other objects as willhereinafter appear, my invention consists in the ballet go slipper andmethod of making the same as hereinafter are more particularly descr bedin the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. 'Thespecification is accompanied by drawings in which:

z5 Fig. 1 is an elevation of a ballet slipper made in accordance withvention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the same;

the present ,in-

80 Fig. 3 is a pattern of the fore part of the ig. 4 is apattern of thetoe portion of the upper;

Fig. 5 is a pattern of the fore part of the 85 inner lining of theupper;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the assembled inverted upper priortolasting; Fig. 7 shows the same applied to a last;

Fig. 8 is a pattern for, and illustration of as first applied 45 theslipper preparatory to trimming;

ig. 11 shows the same after trimming; F i 12 is a pattern for toostiffening material a Fig. 13 illustrates'the same applied to the soslipper;

1g. 14 is a pattern for another layer of toe stiffening material;

Fig. 15 illustrates the same applied to the (Fig. 5) of the slippercemented thereto;

Fig. 17 represents the same after the ma.- -terial of the upper has beenstitched to the outsole; and in 00 Fig. 18 the slipper has been turnedand relasted.

Referrin to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be 0 served that'theballet slipper of my invention comprises an upper made of a 2, and aheel portion sewed'to an outsole 6, in the customary manner, but the toeportion 8, and sole portion 10 adjacent thereto are made of a materialdifferent from the balance of the upper. Considered in one aspect, myinvention resides in the provision of a toe slipper capable of longWear, and for this purpose the toe portion 8 is made of a materialespecially adapted for long wear. I find that calf suede is mostsuitable, because it has a rough surface which prevents slipping and yetwhich does not retard turns. Kid suede is also suitable. These materialsmay be obtained in the proper color to match the satin of the upper. Asmoothly finished leather may be used but is not so suitable because itchips and shows wear.

Considered in another aspect, my invention consists in a new techniquefor making ballet slippers, in accordance with which all of the materialat the toe portion, as well as at the" balance of the slipper, ispatterned to take the desired shape Without folds or plaits of any kind,and while this technique may be applied to slippers made of anymaterial, it is particularly applicable to the long wearing slipperhereillustrated because of the difiiculty which would be encountered inan attempt to fold and plait the leather toe portion of the slipper.

It is customary to provide ballet slippers with intermediate, as wellas, inner linings. In accordance with one feature of my invention, thedesirable patterning and necessary handling of the material of theslipper is greatly simplified by preliminarily backing the satinmaterial from which the slipper is to be made with the intermediatelining. This intermediate lining is preferably a fieecy cloth which ispermanently gummed" to the back of the satin. For the remainder of thepresent description it will be understood, therefore, that only oneadditional lining, the inner lining, need be considered.

To make a ballet slipper in accordance with my improved process, thisdouble material is patterned as illustrated in Fig. 3 to form theforward portion 2, of the upper. The upper part of this pattern isconventional, but the lower part differs from the usual pattern in thatthe toe portion has been cut away along the line 12. The dotted linerunning through the points 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 indicates the path ofthe line of stitching which will subsequently attach the toe portion 8,to the upper 2, and it will be noted that a considerable margin 24, saya quarter of an inch, is left between the stitching and the edge of thefabric.

The toe portion 8 10 is out according to the pattern shown in Fig. 4. Ifthe material selected is suede, it is preferably initially backed with astrong fabric adhesively secured thereto, in order to prevent stretchingof the suede. The dotted line intercom necting the points'14, 16, 18,20, and 22 represents the line of stitching corresponding to that shownin Fig. 3 for securing the toe portion to the upper, and it will benoted that the minimum possible margin of material is left between thestitching and the edge of the suede. The points 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22indicate places on the two pieces of material which are brought intocoincidence when they are sewed together. be understood that if it isdesired to adopt the process of the present invention without making thetoe portion of the slipper of a materialdiiferent from the upper, asuitable pattern may readily be devised which will approximate thepatterns of Figs. 3 and 4 put together sothat the line of stitching hereindicated need be only partially employed.

Fig. 5 is a pattern for the inner lining at the forward portion of theslipper. This lining is made of the usual canvas-like material, and theupper portion of the pattern is conventional, but the lower portiondiffers in being suitably cut to form side portions 26 and 28, and-acenter portion 30, which may subsequently take the shape of the toe ofthe slipper without introducing folds or plaits in the material.

No patterns have been shown for the heel portion of the upper and thequarter heel lining, because these are of conventional form. In thepresent slipper, however, the quarter heel lining instead of being madeof the usual canvas-like material is made of suede cloth in order toprevent slipping of the wheel of the dancer in the slipper.

The assembled upper in inverted condi-" tion prior to lasting isillustrated in Fig. 6. In this figure it will be observed that thefleece backed satin material for the forward and heel portions, 2 and 4,of the upper is innermost. The suede cloth quarter heel lining is shownat 32, while the lining for the forward portion of the slipper is shownat 34. The suede toe portion 8. 10 is sewed to the satin upper 2, alongthe line of stitching indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, and this results inthe toe taking the proper toe configuration, instead of being flat inaccordance with the usual practi ce. In fact, the patterns and sizes areso accurately worked out, that the upper in the condition shown in Fig.6 must be forced onto 55, the proper size of last with the aid of a shoehorn, much as is now the case when the slipper is lasted for the secondtime after having been turned. It should be noted that the stitching atthe toe of the upper does not include the inner lining 34. That is, theside portions 26 and 28, and the center portion 30 of the inner liningare quite free from the upper at this time, and are left so until theslipper has been nearly completely assembled. The stitching of the suedetoe portion 8, 10 to the upper may precede, but preferably It shouldfollows the sewing together of the balance of the upper, and thedetailed steps in the latter process need not be described because theyare performed in the usual manner.

An appropriate last, 36, is next selected, and the outsole 6, istemporarily tacked thereto, as at 40. The inner side of the sole, markedat 38, is kept on top, and is'provided with a stitch channel 39. Theupper is next forced onto the last 36, and, if desired, several smalltacks, 42, may be used to temporarily hold the sides of the upper to theoutsole. Guts or slits, 44, are made in the material of the upper beyondthe line of stitching at the toe portion, (see Fig. 6) to permit themargin 24 to be folded smoothly back against the upper (see Fig. 7)while the remaining materialis folded over against the sole of theslipper, as at 46. A suitable adhesive is applied to keep the materialtightly in place.

A filler or stiffening member for the toe is next applied. This, likethe various other materials already or subsequently to be described, ispatterned to take the shape of the toe without folds or plaits, but inthis case it is preferred to first conform the material to the toe andthereafter trim the excess material. The filler is a suitable thickmaterial, preferably elkskin having a thickness of about one-eighth ofan inch, and this is cut to the shape shown in Fig. 8. The edges areskived to taper the thickness of the filler to an even edge. The elkskinis then coated with a suitable adhesive or cement, and applied to thetoe of the slipper'with the point 48 up permost, as is illustrated inFig. 9. The dimension of the filler is. made such that the point 48overlaps the forward edge of the sole 38 with a safe margin. The fillermaterial isshaped by hand to conform to the toe, and the excess materialis confined to four diagonally opposite points, 50, which are finallypinched securely together with the aid of pliers, as is shown in Fig.10. These points of excess material are next trimmed off, re sulting ina smooth, reinforced, and padded toe, as is shown in Fig. 11.

At this point, it may be mentioned that the filler may be made large inarea, and may extend over the sole near the toe until it overlaps theoutsole 38, because it is made to conform to the shape of the toe, andit may be made to conform to the shape of the toe in the manner setforth, only because the upper has previously been similarly shaped. Inthe ordinary process in which the upper is brought to shape only by thefinal stitching laminations of material are employed, each patterning ofthe consisting of fabric of strong but relatively open weave, in orderthat it may be thoroughly impregnated or loaded with cement. The firstof these layers is cut in accordance with the pattern shown in Fi g. 12,and the resulting piece of material 52 is impregnated or loaded with anadhesive cement and applied to the toe of the slipper, as is indicatedin Fig. 13. The cut of the pattern is such that the pieces of material54 and 56 may be folded smoothly around the toe of the slipper, andtheir dimension is preferably such as to overlap the outsole 38 of theslipper.

The second piece of stiffening material is preferably cut in accordancewith a difierent pattern, as is indicated in Fig. 14. The resultingpiece of material, 58, is impregnated or loaded with cement and ap liedoutside of the layer 52, and preferably lower than the same, as isclearly illustrated in Fig. 15, so

that a gradual taper of material away from the toe of the slipper isobtained. The cut portions 60 and 62 of this layer of material arefolded smoothly around the toe of the slipper as is evident from thedrawings. It should be noted that the patterns are preferably made todiffer from one another in the manner illustrated, so that the variousseams, which result when folding the stiflening material about the toe,are staggered with relation to one another.

The toe of the slipper now having been sufficiently stiffened and boxed,the lining 34 is next cemented in place. The side portions 26 and 28,and center portion 30, are cemented smoothly in place, as is clearlyevident in Fig. 16. Here again, it should be noticed that the liningpreferably overlaps the forward portion of the sole 38. p

The upper is now stitched to the outsole 38. Because of the patterningof each of the laminations of material at the toe portion of theslipper, the resulting thickness of material may readily be accommodatedby the sewing machine which is ordinarily used to sew the upper to therear portion of the sole. With the present method, the slipper may beapplied to the machine and sewed entirely around the sole, resulting ina saving in time which reduces the cost of manufacturing the slippertremendously, for the hand stitching heretofore employe was tedious andslow. The saving in labor at this point, alone, more than compensatesfor the additional cost of the suede toe and the various process stepsheretofore outlined. The stitching operation locks the filler andstiffening and lining components of the upper securely to the outsole,

after which, any slight excess of material above the stitches may betrimmed, leaving the slipper in the condition illustrated in Fig. 17.

The slipper is then removed from the last while still in a soft andpliable condition, and is turned so as to bring the satin or right sideof the slipper outermost. The turned slipper is then relasted as isindicated in Fig.

,inforced types,

18. During this relasting operation, considerable labor is again saved,for with the present process very little is done at this time other thanto roll the sole 38 to accurately fit the last, and slightly iron andsmooth the slipper particularly at the toe portion thereof to fit thelast, and to smooth out any slight wrinkles and bulges which may haveappeared during the turning operation. 'In the ordinary process, at thistime it is necessary to straighten out the plaits at the toe portion ofthe slipper, and in this work considerable time is spent, for the plaitsmust be individually shaped and hammered in an attempt to overcomejhenatural excess bulge which the material tends to take.

The toe slipper is next removed from the last, and a shank or insole isapplied thereto. This may be of the plain leather or steel reand iscemented in place and tacked from the inside through to the outsole. Theinsole preferably extends to the very toe of the slipper as is indicatedin dot ted lines in Fig. 2, in order to stiffen the toe slipper againstthe weight of the dancer. To obtain the full benefit of this extensionof the insole, it is desirable to lock the same against the outsole ofthe slipper, and for this purpose, in addition to the usual tacks whichare applied from the inside of the slipper, I prefer to apply therelatively long nails 70 and 72 through the outside of the slipper,which pass through and are bent over the shank in order to securely lockthe outsole and shank together. The nails 70 pass through the outsole 6,and the nails 72 pass through the suede sole portion 10, the latternails being in a favorable location made possible by the use of suede,for the nails would tear through sat-in.

The slipper'is again lasted, a suitable design being applied to thesole, if desired, such as that shown in Fig. 2, and the slipper is thenallowed to dry and set on the last for a period of two day or more.During this time, the adhesive cement, which was liberally used in theformation of the toe of the slipper, sets thoroughly and results in arelatively rigid, stifi, boxed toe formation which is amply capable oftaking the weightof the dancer 1n ordinary use.

The method of practicing my invention, and the many advantages thereof,will, it is believed, beapparent from the foregoing detaileddescription. The slipper which results from my process assumes a smooth,neat, trim shape which is not altered during use. There is no bulge atthe bottom ofthe slipper, as is the case when the slipper is plaited,and the labor and expense incident to the formation of a plaited slipperis avoided. When the toe portion is made of wear-resisting material assuede, a slipper is obtained which is capable of indefinite wear, whichmay be manufactured at a cost as low and yet sue-racer the cost ofordinary plaited slippers, and at a far lower cost than that of stitchedtoe slippers. 'Ihe suede toe is joined to the satin upper withoutoverlappin seams of any 'nd, so that a neat joint is o tained which doesnot mar the appearance of the slipper. The upper may be stitched to thesole entirely by machine, and each of the components of the upper may bestitched to the sole even though machine stitching is employed, and thisresults in decreased cost and increased strength in the finishedslipper.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described by inventionin the preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in themethod and slipper structure disclosed without departing from the spiritof the invention, defined in the following claims.

Iclaim: n M

1. In the manufacture of ballet slippers having an outsoleterminating asubstantial distance short of the toe of the slipper in the conventionalmanner, the method which includes cutting and patterning the materialas, or lower than,

' of the upper at the toe and front sole portion distance short of thetoe iplacing thereof to obtain the proper enclosed or cupped toe shapewithout folds or plaits, the some in inverted condition on a lastprovided with an outsole which is short as aforesaid, securing the upperincluding the cupped toe portion thereof to the short outsole, andturning the sli per.

2. In the manufacture o ballet slippers having an outsole terminating asubstantia of the slipper in the the method which includes patterningand sewing the material of the upper including the toe and front'soleportion thereof to the proper enclosed or cupped shape without folds orplaits, placing the upper with its cupped toe in inverted condition on alast provided with a channeled outsole which is short as aforesaid,stitching the upper includin the cupped toe portion thereof to the outsoo with a smooth continuous line of stitching and without plaits, andturning the slipper.

3. In the manufacture of ballet slippers having an conventional manner,

outsole terminating a substantial distance short of the toe of theslipper inthe conventional manner, the method which includes patterningthe material of the upper at the toe and front sole portion thereof toobtain the proper shape without folds or plaits, placing the same ininverted condition on a last provided with a channeled outsole which isshort as aforesaid, adding to the toe portion a filler which in thecompleted shoe is so patterned as to conform thereto without foldsorplaits, stitching the upper to the outsole, and turning the slipper.

4. In the manufacture of ballet slippers having an outsole terminating asubstantial of the distance short of the toe of the slipper in theconventional manner the method which includes patterninglin sewing thematerial of the upper inclu g the toe and front sole portion thereof toproper shape, placing the same in inverted condition on a last providedwith a channeled outsole which is short as aforesaid, adding to the toeportion a thick toe filler which in the completed shoe is so patternedas to avoid excess material causing folds or plaits, stitching the upperand the filler to the outsole, and turning the slipper.

5. In the manufacture of ballet slippers, the method which includespatterning the upper and a linin therefor and stitching both to form allof t e upper except the toe portion, stitching the upper independentlyof the lining to properly shape the toe portion thereof, placing theresulting upper in inverted condition on a last previously a channeledoutsole, adding to t e toe portion a filler which in the completed shoeis so patterned as to conform thereto without folds or plaits, cementingthe patterned lining around the toe portion of the slipper, stitchingthe upper to the outsole, and turning the slipper.

6. In the manufacture of ballet slippers, the method which includespatterning the upper and a lining therefor and stitching both to formall of the upper except the toe portion, stitching the upperindependently of the lining to properly shape the toe portion thereof,placing the resulting upper in inverted condition on a last previouslypro- 1 vided with a channeled outsole, adding to the toe portion afiller which in the completed shoe is so patterned as to conform theretowithout folds or plaits, folding the previously patterned lining aroundthe toe portion of the slipper, stitching the upper and lining to theoutsole, and turning the slipper.

7. In the manufacture of ballet slippers,

the method which includes patterning the upper and a lining therefor andstitching both to form all of the upper except the toe portion,stitching the upper independently of the hmng to properly shape the toeportion thereof, placing the resulting upper on a last previouslyprovided with a channeled outsole, adding to the toe portion a fillerwhich in the completed shoe is so patterned as to conform theretowithout folds or plaits, cementin to the upper and filler a plurality oftoe sti ening members properly patterned to fit around the toe of theslipper, cementing the patterned lining around the toe portion of theslipper, stitching the upper to the outsole, and turning the slipper.

8. In the manufacture of ballet slippers, the method which includespatterning the PP both to formall of the upper except the toe portion,stitching the upper independently to properly shape the toe porr and alining therefor and stitching tion thereof, placing the resulting upperon a last previously provided with a channeled outsole, adding to thetoe portion a filler which 1n the completed shoe is so patterned as toconform thereto without folds or plaits, cementin to the upper andfiller a plurality of toe stiflening members properly patterned to fitaround the toe of the slipper, cementing the previously patterned liningaround the toe portion of the slipper, stitching the upper, intermediatematerial, and lining to the outsole, and turning the slipper. 9. In themanufacture of ballet slippers having an outsole terminating asubstantial distance short of the toe of the slipper in the conventionalmanner, the method which includes preliminaril patternin .the materialof the upper and tlie lining m terials at the toe and front sole portionof the slipper so as to obtain an enclosed or cupped toe shape whichconforms to the toe without folds or plaits or like cause of excessivethickness, assembling said upper with a short outsole, and stitching theupper entirely around the short sole.

0 10. In the manufacture of ballet slippers having an outsoleterminating a substantial distance short of the toe of the slipper inthe conventional manner, the method which includes patternin thematerial of the upper and the various lling, stiffening, and liningmaterials at the toe and front sole portion of the slipper so as toobtain an enclosed or cupped toe shape which conforms to the toe withoutfolds or plaits or like cause of excess thickness, assemblin said upperwith a short outsole, and stitchlng the upper entirely around the shortsole.

11. In the manufacture of ballet slippers, the method which includespatterning the upper and a lining therefor and stitching both to formall of the upper except the toe portion, stitching the upperindependently of the lining to properly shape the toe portion thereof,placing the resulting upper in inverted condition on a last previouslyprovided with a channeled outsole, adding to the toe portion a fillerwhich in the completed shoe is so patterned as to conform theretowithout folds or plaits, folding the patterned lining around the toeportion of the slipper, stitching the upper, filler, and lining entire-1 around the outsole, and turnlng the s ipper.

12. In the manufacture of ballet slippers or toe shoes, the method ofincreasing the wear obtainable therefrom which includes making theflexible upper with a toe portion made of a flexible material adaptedfor long sole, and

wear, performing the toe portion of the upper to give the same anenclosed or cupped toe sha before securing the same to a sole, assemb'ng the preformed upper with an outstitchmg the upper entirely aroundthe said outsole.

13. In the manufacture of ballet slippers or toe shoes, the method ofincreasing the wear obtainable therefrom which includes patterning theupper from pieces of material including a toe portion made of a materialadapted for long wear, sewing the material of the upper including thetoe portion thereof to pre-formed toe shape, placing the same ininverted condition on a last provided with an outsole, securing theupper including the toe portion to the outsole, and turnin the slipper.

14. n the manufacture of ballet slippers comprising a satin upper and aplurality of linings therefor, the method which includes preliminarilybacking the satin with an intermediate lining by gumming the samethereto, thereafter patterning and handling the satin upper andintermediate lining as a single piece of material, conforming the satinand intermediate lining to the shape of a last, and separatelypatterning the inner lining to the shape of the last.

15. A. ballet or toe slipper comprising an upper made of flexible fabricmaterial the toe of which is cut out and replaced by a differentflexible material adapted to take long wear, said materials being sosecured toget er at the edges of the cut out portions that the finishedouter surface of the slipper is smooth and continuous.

16. A ballet or toe slipper having an outsole terminating a substantialdistance short of the toe of the slipper in the conventional manner,said slipper comprising an upper made of flexible fabric material thetoe and adjacent sole portion of which, extending to the outsole, is cutout and replaced by a different flexible material adapted to take longwear, said materials being so secured together at the edges of the cutout portions that the finished outer surface of the slipper is smoothand continuous.

17. A ballet slipper having an outsole ter-- minatin a substantialdistance short of the toe of the slipper in the conventional manner,comprising a fabric upper the toe and adjacent sole portion of which isout out and replaced by a flexible material adaptedto take long wear,the said upper and toe portion being suitably cut and patterned to takethe shape of the toe of the slipper without folds or laits.

18. A allet slipper having an outsole terminatin a substantial distanceshort of the toe of t e slipper in the conventional manner, comprisingan upper patterned to take the shape of the toe without folds or plaits,a filler patterned to conform to the toe of the slipper without folds orplaits, an inner lining patterned to conform smoothly to the toe of theslipper, and an outsole to which the up er is stitched.

19. ballet-slipper having an outsole terminating a substantial distanceshort of the toe of the slipper in the conventional manner, comprisingan upper patterned to take the shape of the toe without folds or plaits,a filler patterned to conform to the toe of the slipper without folds orplaits, a plurality of toe stiffening members properly patterned to fitsmoothly around the toe of the slipper, an inner lining patterned toconform smoothly to the toe of the slipper, and an outsole to which theupper is stitched.

20. A ballet slipper comprising an upper and intermediate liningsuitably patterned to take the shape of the last without folds orplaits, a filler suitably patterned to conform to the toe of the slipperwithout folds or plaits, a plurality of toe stiffening members properlypatterned to fit smoothly around the toe of the slipper, an inner liningalso properly atterned to conform smoothly to the toe of the slipper,and an outsole to which all of the aforesaid components are stitched.

21. A ballet slipper comprising an upper the toe and adjacent soleportion of which is cut out and replaced by a material adapted to takelong wear, the said upper and toe portion being patterned to take theshape of the ,toe of the slipper without folds or plaits, a fillerpatterned to conform to the toe of the slipper without folds or plaits,a lining patterned to conform smoothly to the toe of the slipper, and anoutsole to which the upper is stitched.

22. A ballet slipper comprising a satin upperthe toe and adjacent soleportion of which is cut out and replaced by suede in order to take longwear, the said satin upper and toe portion being patterned to take theshape of the toe of the slipper without folds or plaits, a fillerpatterned to conform to the toe of the slipper without folds or plaits,a plurality of toe stiffening members patterned to fit smoothly aroundthe toe of the slipper, an inner lining also patterned to conform to thetoe of the slipper, and an outsole to which one or more of the aforesaidcomponents are stitched. I

23. A ballet slipper comprising a satin upper the toe and adjacent soleportion of which is cut out and replaced by a material adapted to takelong wear, the said satin upper and toe portion being patterned to takethe shape of the toe of the slipper without folds or plaits, patternedto fit smoothly around the toe of the slipper, an inner lining thequarter heel lining of which is made of suede cloth to prevent heelslippage, and an outsole to which the upper is stitched.

24. A ballet or toe slipper formed without conventional folds or plaitsat the toe portion thereof, said slipper comprising an upper made offlexible material the toe portion of which is cut away, and leather wearresisting material stitched to the lower edge of said upper around thecut-away toe portion of the filler and stiifening members slipper andalong the sole of the slipper, thereby forming a leather sole and aleather wear resisting toe which are in contiguous relation.

25. A ballet or toe slipper formed without conventional folds or plaitsat the toe portion thereof, said slipper comprising an upper made offlexible material the toe portion of which is cut away, wear resistingmaterial stitched to the lower edge of said upper around the cut-awaytoe portion of the slipper and along the sole of the slipper, and arelatively rigid insole mounted inside of the slipper and extendingforwardly to the toe, and securing means driven through the insole andwear resisting material to lock the same together.

26. A ballet or toe slipper formed without conventional folds or plaitsat the toe portion thereof, said slipper comprising an upper made offlexible material the toe portion of which. is cut away, wear resistingmaterial turn-stitched to the lower edge of said upper around thecut-away toe portion of the slipper and along the sole of the slipper,said materials being so secured together at the edges of the cut awaytoe portion that the finished outer surface of the toe portion is smoothand continuous, and an insole mounted inside of the slipper.

27. A ballet or toe slipper formed without conventional folds or plaitsat the toe portion thereof, said slipper comprising an upper made offlexible material the toe portion of which is cut away, leather wearresisting material machine-stitched in inverted or turned condition tothe lower edge of said upper around the cut-away toe portion of theslipper and along the sole of the slipper, and a relatively rigid insolemounted inside of the slipper.

28. A ballet or toe slipper formed without conventional folds or plaitsat the toe portion thereof, said slipper comprising an upper made offlexible material the toe portion of which is cut away, leather wearresisting material machine-stitched in inverted or turned condition tothe lower edge of said upper around the cut-away toe portion of theslipper and along the soleof the slipper, a relatively rigid archsupporting insolecemented inside of the slipper and extending fully tosisting material secured to the fabric at the finally mounting an insolewithin the slipper.

30. The method of making a ballet or toe slipper which is provided withwear resisting material at the toe portion thereof and which has nofolds or plaits of conventional type at the said toe portion, whichincludes patterning, cutting out, and stitching a flexible upper the toeportion of which is cut away, machine-stitching Wear resisting materialto the lower edge of the upper'around the cut-away toe portion of theslipper and also along the sole portion of the slipper while the slipperand wear resisting material are in inverted condition, thereafterturning the slipper, and finally mounting an insole within the slipper.

31. The method of making a ballet or toe slipper which is provided withWear resisting. material at the toe portion thereof and which has nofolds or plaits of conventional type at the said toe portion,whichincludes patterning, cutting out, and stitching a flexible upper the toeportion of which is cut away, machine-stitching leather wear resistingmaterial to the lower edge of the upper around the cut-away toe portionof the s ipper and also along the sole portion of the slipper while theslipper and leather material are in inverted condition, thereafterturning the slipper, and finally mounting a relatively rigid archsupporting insole within the sliper. p A ballet o'r toe slippercomprising a leather outsole terminating a substantial distance short ofthe toe of the slipper, and an upper the toe portion of which is so outor shaped as to obtain an enclosed or cupped toe shape without folds orplaits or like cause of excessive thickness, said upper being made offabric but including leather wear retoe portion of the slipper and alongthe sole of the slipper at the forward end of the aforesaid shortoutsole, thereby forming leather wear resisting toe and sole portionswhich are in contiguous relation.

33. A ballet or toe slipper comprising an outsole terminating asubstantial distance short of the toe of the slipper, and an upper madeof flexible material which is so patterned at the toe and front soleportion as to obtain an enclosed or cupped toe shape which conformstothe toe without folds or plaits.

or like cause of excessive thickness, the upper being made of fabric butthe exposed toe and front sole portion thereof being made of a differentflexible material especially adapted to take long wear, said differentupper materials being so secured together that the finished outersurface of the slipper is relatively smooth and continuous.

34. In the manufacture of ballet slippers having an outsole terminatinga substantial distance short of the toe of the slipper in theconventional manner, and leather wear resisting material on the toe andfront sole portion thereof, the method which includes SALVATORE CAPEZIO.

of April, A.'D. 1930.

preliminarily patterning the fabric and.

